Montco making progress in distribution
NORRISTOWN >> After weeks of dealing with a spring surge in COVID-19 cases, Montgomery County officials appeared encouraged Wednesday by this week’s decrease in the COVID-19 positivity rate and increasing vaccination numbers as the battle against the pandemic continued.
“We appear to be turning a corner and hopefully this is the case,” county Commissioners’ Chairwoman Dr. Valerie Arkoosh said during a news briefing at which officials reviewed the latest vaccination, hospitalization and virus case data.
The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported on Wednesday that 180,948 county residents have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Another 226,127 county residents have received a first dose of vaccine, according to state data, which includes those who have received vaccine through the county Office of Public Health and at all other locations, such as pharmacies.
“I’m happy to report that we continue to make really good progress,” Arkoosh said.
The state data indicates that 48.9% of the county’s total population has been either partially or fully vaccinated.
“This is great news and great work by our community. So keep it up, let’s get everybody who wants to be vaccinated, vaccinated,” Arkoosh said.
A deeper dive into the numbers reveals that 93% of the county’s population over 65 years of age has received either a first or second dose of vaccine.
“That is fantastic news. It means that the most vulnerable individuals in our community are well on their way to a high degree of safety,” Arkoosh said.
The data further indicates that 60.4% of the county’s population age 16 and older is partially or fully vaccinated.
Health experts believe herd immunity won’t be reached until about 75% of the population is vaccinated.
“While all of us want to be done with this virus, the virus is not done with us. We still have a lot of virus in our community but there is a simple and safe step you can take, get vaccinated. No matter who you are, it is now your turn. We have plenty of appointments so make one and please get vaccinated,” Arkoosh addressed residents.
Last week, county health officials paused the distribution of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, under federal and state directives, as they awaited the outcome of a review by the federal Centers for Disease Control of 15 reported incidents of rare blood clots that occurred in individuals in the U.S. within two weeks of receiving the J&J vaccine.
However, this week, U.S. and state health officials determined that blood clot incidents are extremely rare and that the vaccine is safe and effective, essentially lifting the pause in the use of the J&J shot.
“This shows that the federal oversight process of vaccine safety and effectiveness is working and all steps are being taken to protect Americans,” Arkoosh said.
On Wednesday, the county Office of Public Health resumed the distribution of the one-shot J&J vaccine. To show confidence in the vaccine Arkoosh and fellow Commissioner Kenneth E. Lawrence Jr. obtained the J&J shot at the opening of a new walk-up clinic at St. John’s Episcopal Church, 528 Church St. in Norristown. The clinic is open Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and no appointments
are necessary for that walk-up clinic.
“The setup is great and I would encourage anyone to stop by there who wants to get a vaccine,” Arkoosh said.
The county Office of Public Health is also operating vaccination clinics at the following locations where appointments are required: Norristown Area High School; the Montgomery County Community College campus in Whitpain; the Parkside Shopping Center, in the former Petco location, in Willow Grove; Trinity Lutheran Church, 1000 W. Main St., in Lansdale; and Bethel Community Church, 575 N. Keim St., in Pottstown.
A seventh vaccination clinic is available on Saturdays only at Bethlehem Baptist Church, 712 Penllyn Pike in Spring House.
“Starting on May 3, we will be moving the locations of two of our clinics to better serve our residents,” Arkoosh explained.
The clinic currently located at the Montgomery County Community College campus in Whitpain will close on April 30 and move to a location at the Montgomery Mall in Montgomery Township.
Additionally, the clinic currently located at Norristown Area High School will move to a new location at the former JCPenney store at the King of Prussia Mall in Upper Merion.
All of the county-run clinics now offer both the J&J and Pfizer vaccines. Hours vary and include day, evening and weekend hours.
“Anyone who books with us will have the ability to choose their clinic location, the date and time of their appointment and which vaccine they receive,” Arkoosh explained.
Appointments are required to receive the vaccine. Anyone 16 and older can pre-register to receive the vaccine through the county Office of Public Health. The pre-registration link can be found at www.montcopa.org/COVID-19 under the green vaccination information button.
Residents who don’t have internet access can call the county’s COVID-19 hotline at (833) 875-3967 to connect with a volunteer who can assist them in pre-registering for a vaccine.
County officials also explained the one-shot J&J vaccine is preferable to vaccinate the homebound population because officials will have to visit that person’s home only once.
“Our goal remains to get as many shots in arms as quickly and efficiently as possible,” Arkoosh said.
In addition to the positive vaccine data, officials reported that the county’s COVID-19 positivity rate now appears to be decreasing
after several weeks of surging.
According to the latest county data, the overall 14-day COVID-19 positivity rate for the county, as of April 22, was 7.7% which is a slight decrease from the 8.22% positivity rate recorded during the previous 14-day period ending April 15.
Health officials believe a positivity rate below 5% indicates a county is suppressing the spread of the virus.
During the period March 26 through April 22, the county’s daily COVID-19 positivity rate did not fall below 5% on a single day.
“So, we have some work to do but we can see that the trend is finally starting to come back down,” Arkoosh said. “We are definitely plateauing and appear to be on our way down, which is great news.”
There were 226 COVID-19 patients hospitalized in the county’s nine hospitals on Wednesday, down from 228 a week ago. Eighteen of the current patients required respirators, according to the latest hospitalization data.
The 172 daily new positive COVID-19 cases reported in the county on Wednesday brought the county’s total number of positive cases to 56,856 since March 7, 2020, when the first two cases of the virus were identified in the county.
To date, at least 265 of the positive individuals in the county have been identified as carrying one of the coronavirus variants, including 246 who carried the more contagious B117 variant first identified in the United Kingdom. Six cases of the B1427 variant and 12 cases of the B1429 variant, both first detected in California,
and one case of the B1526 variant, first detected in New York, have also been identified in the county.
No new daily deaths were reported on Wednesday, leaving the county’s death toll at 1,289 since the pandemic began a year ago. Those who have died from the virus ranged in age from 25 to 106.